Nikon FX-format digital SLR – exceptional performance combined with superior mobility and functional versatility to provide serious photographers with outstanding value
TOKYO – Nikon Corporation is pleased to announce the introduction of its newest FX-format digital SLR, the Nikon D700.
The D700 features an FX-format first introduced with the Nikon D3. Highly praised for its outstanding features, the D3 established a new level of professional performance in terms of overall image quality, extraordinarily low noise, ISO sensitivity range, continuous high-speed shooting, color gradation, image crispness, durability, weather-resistant operation, system versatility and more.
The new D700 incorporates an extensive array of features that boast a level of performance that is in many ways comparable to the D3. At the same time, it derives a wide range of benefits – including functionality, flexibility and operability – from the more agile D300, Nikon's flagship DX-format D-SLR.
The D700 has everything it takes to satisfy a broad spectrum of photographic needs. The 12.1-megapixel FX-format CMOS sensor with a sensing area of 36.0 x 23.9 mm; a sensitivity range of ISO 200 to 6400; continuous shooting at up to 5 frames per second (and up to 8 fps with the optional Multi-Power Battery Pack MB-D10; Nikon's exclusive 51-point AF system; Scene Recognition System for optimum autofocus, auto exposure and auto white balance detection – these are but a few of the advanced capabilities of the extraordinary new D700.
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COMPARISON WITH D300 and D3.Compared to Nikon D300
The new D700 may appear to trump the D300 with its full-frame sensor, but there’s actually a number of reasons to prefer the older model. First of all, you’ll enjoy all of its 12 Megapixels with DX-format lenses, compared to using just five from the D700’s larger sensor. Wildlife shooters will prefer having this higher pixel density, and you’ll also experience less issues with vignetting or reduced sharpness towards the corners when using FX-compatible lenses.
The D300 is also a little faster as standard, shooting 6fps to the D700’s 5fps. The D300’s viewfinder may not show the expanse of full-frame, but it does have 100% coverage to the 95% of the D700. The D300 is also a little smaller (mostly shorter due to the smaller penta-prism), 170g lighter, and while both bodies are dust and moisture resistant, the D700’s sliding memory card door feels closer to entry-level bodies than the D300’s lever-operated mechanism.
Crucially, the D300 is also much cheaper than the D700 - current online pricing is half that of the D700's launch price, and even though the latter will fall once volume is available, there'll still be a price difference. So the D300 may not match the D700's high ISO performance or have features like the virtual horizon, but it remains one of the most powerful and compelling semi-pro DSLRs on the market - and is much more affordable.
Compared to Nikon D3
The D700 may have cherry-picked the key specifications of the D3 including its full-frame sensor, but Nikon’s flagship model still has much to offer. Physically the D3 features a built-in portrait grip and a larger battery as standard. The continuous shooting is also almost twice as fast at 9fps to the D700’s 5fps. Both the D3 and D700 have large full-frame viewfinders, but the D3 boasts 100% coverage, a 5:4 aspect ratio mode, and crucially for pro shooters, a shutter block that’s rated to 300,000 cycles – twice that of the D700 (and D300).
That said, the D3 misses out on the anti-dust features of the D700, and it doesn’t have a popup flash, although the latter can equally be seen as a physical weak-point. The D700 is also smaller and lighter, but again pros may see the heft of the D3 as preferable. Finally, the D3 is comfortably more expensive than the D700. Most pros will easily justify paying the extra, but anyone only wanting the higher ISO performance of a full-frame sensor will be better-served by the D700.
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